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Lattice Boltzmann Methods have shown to be promising tools for solving fluid flow problems. This is related to the advantages of these methods, which are among others, the simplicity in handling complex geometries and the high efficiency in calculating transient flows. Lattice Boltzmann Methods are mesoscopic methods, based on discrete particle dynamics. This is in contrast to conventional Computational Fluid Dynamics methods, which are based on the solution of the continuum equations. Calculations of turbulent flows in engineering depend in general on modeling, since resolving of all turbulent scales is and will be in near future far beyond the computational possibilities. One of the most auspicious modeling approaches is the large eddy simulation, in which the large, inhomogeneous turbulence structures are directly computed and the smaller, more homogeneous structures are modeled.
In this thesis, a consistent large eddy approach for the Lattice Boltzmann Method is introduced. This large eddy model includes, besides a subgrid scale model, appropriate boundary conditions for wall resolved and wall modeled calculations. It also provides conditions for turbulent domain inlets. For the case of wall modeled simulations, a two layer wall model is derived in the Lattice Boltzmann context. Turbulent inlet conditions are achieved by means of a synthetic turbulence technique within the Lattice Boltzmann Method.
The proposed approach is implemented in the Lattice Boltzmann based CFD package SAM-Lattice, which has been created in the course of this work. SAM-Lattice is feasible of the calculation of incompressible or weakly compressible, isothermal flows of engineering interest in complex three dimensional domains. Special design targets of SAM-Lattice are high automatization and high performance.
Validation of the suggested large eddy Lattice Boltzmann scheme is performed for pump intake flows, which have not yet been treated by LBM. Even though, this numerical method is very suitable for this kind of vortical flows in complicated domains. In general, applications of LBM to hydrodynamic engineering problems are rare. The results of the pump intake validation cases reveal that the proposed numerical approach is able to represent qualitatively and quantitatively the very complex flows in the intakes. The findings provided in this thesis can serve as the basis for a broader application of LBM in hydrodynamic engineering problems.

The main goal of this work is to model size effects, as they occur in materials with an intrinsic microstructure at the consideration of specimens that are not by orders larger than this microstructure. The micromorphic continuum theory as a generalized continuum theory is well suited to account for the occuring size effects. Thereby additional degrees of freedoms capture the independent deformations of these microstructures, while they provide additional balance equation. In this thesis, the deformational and configurational mechanics of the micromorphic continuum is exploited in a finite-deformation setting. A constitutive and numerical framework is developed, in which also the material-force method is advanced. Furthermore the multiscale modelling of thin material layers with a heterogeneous substructure is of interest. To this end, a computational homogenization framework is developed, which allows to obtain the constitutive relation between traction and separation based on the properties of the underlying micromorphic mesostructure numerically in a nested solution scheme. Within the context of micromorphic continuum mechanics, concepts of both gradient and micromorphic plasticity are developed by systematically varying key ingredients of the respective formulations.

The present thesis describes the development and validation of a viscosity adaption method for the numerical simulation of non-Newtonian fluids on the basis of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), as well as the development and verification of the related software bundle SAM-Lattice.
By now, Lattice Boltzmann Methods are established as an alternative approach to classical computational fluid dynamics
methods. The LBM has been shown to be an accurate and efficient tool for the numerical simulation of weakly compressible or incompressible fluids. Fields of application reach from turbulent simulations through thermal problems to acoustic calculations among others. The transient nature of the method and the need for a regular grid based, non body conformal discretization makes the LBM ideally suitable for simulations involving complex solids. Such geometries are common, for instance, in the food processing industry, where fluids are mixed by static mixers or agitators. Those fluid flows are often laminar and non-Newtonian.
This work is motivated by the immense practical use of the Lattice Boltzmann Method, which is limited due to stability issues. The stability of the method is mainly influenced by the discretization and the viscosity of the fluid. Thus, simulations of non-Newtonian fluids, whose kinematic viscosity depend on the shear rate, are problematic. Several authors have shown that the LBM is capable of simulating those fluids. However, the vast majority of the simulations in the literature are carried out for simple geometries and/or moderate shear rates, where the LBM is still stable. Special care has to be taken for practical non-Newtonian Lattice Boltzmann simulations in order to keep them stable. A straightforward way is to truncate the modeled viscosity range by numerical stability criteria. This is an effective approach, but from the physical point of view the viscosity bounds are chosen arbitrarily. Moreover, these bounds depend on and vary with the grid and time step size and, therefore, with the simulation Mach number, which is freely chosen at the start of the simulation. Consequently, the modeled viscosity range may not fit to the actual range of the physical problem, because the correct simulation Mach number is unknown a priori. A way around is, to perform precursor simulations on a fixed grid to determine a possible time step size and simulation Mach number, respectively. These precursor simulations can be time consuming and expensive, especially for complex cases and a number of operating points. This makes the LBM unattractive for use in practical simulations of non-Newtonian fluids.
The essential novelty of the method, developed in the course of this thesis, is that the numerically modeled viscosity range is consistently adapted to the actual physically exhibited viscosity range through change of the simulation time step and the simulation Mach number, respectively, while the simulation is running. The algorithm is robust, independent of the Mach number the simulation was started with, and applicable for stationary flows as well as transient flows. The method for the viscosity adaption will be referred to as the "viscosity adaption method (VAM)" and the combination with LBM leads to the "viscosity adaptive LBM (VALBM)".
Besides the introduction of the VALBM, a goal of this thesis is to offer assistance in the spirit of a theory guide to students and assistant researchers concerning the theory of the Lattice Boltzmann Method and its implementation in SAM-Lattice. In Chapter 2, the mathematical foundation of the LBM is given and the route from the BGK approximation of the Boltzmann equation to the Lattice Boltzmann (BGK) equation is delineated in detail.
The derivation is restricted to isothermal flows only. Restrictions of the method, such as low Mach number flows are highlighted and the accuracy of the method is discussed.
SAM-Lattice is a C++ software bundle developed by the author and his colleague Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Schneider. It is a highly automated package for the simulation of isothermal flows of incompressible or weakly compressible fluids in 3D on the basis of the Lattice Boltzmann Method. By the time of writing of this thesis, SAM-Lattice comprises 5 components. The main components are the highly automated lattice generator SamGenerator and the Lattice Boltzmann solver SamSolver. Postprocessing is done with ParaSam, which is our extension of the
open source visualization software ParaView. Additionally, domain decomposition for MPI
parallelism is done by SamDecomposer, which makes use of the graph partitioning library MeTiS. Finally, all mentioned components can be controlled through a user friendly GUI (SamLattice) implemented by the author using QT, including features to visually track output data.
In Chapter 3, some fundamental aspects on the implementation of the main components, including the corresponding flow charts will be discussed. Actual details on the implementation are given in the comprehensive programmers guides to SamGenerator and SamSolver.
In order to ensure the functionality of the implementation of SamSolver, the solver is verified in Chapter 4 for Stokes's First Problem, the suddenly accelerated plate, and for Stokes's Second Problem, the oscillating plate, both for Newtonian fluids. Non-Newtonian fluids are modeled in SamSolver with the power-law model according to Ostwald de Waele. The implementation for non-Newtonian fluids is verified for the Hagen-Poiseuille channel flow in conjunction with a convergence analysis of the method. At the same time, the local grid refinement as it is implemented in SamSolver, is verified. Finally, the verification of higher order boundary conditions is done for the 3D Hagen-Poiseuille pipe flow for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.
In Chapter 5, the theory of the viscosity adaption method is introduced. For the adaption process, a target collision frequency or target simulation Mach number must be chosen and the distributions must be rescaled according to the modified time step size. A convenient choice is one of the stability bounds. The time step size for the adaption step is deduced from the target collision frequency \(\Omega_t\) and the currently minimal or maximal shear rate in the system, while obeying auxiliary conditions for the simulation Mach number. The adaption is done in the collision step of the Lattice Boltzmann algorithm. We use the transformation matrices of the MRT model to map from distribution space to moment space and vice versa. The actual scaling of the distributions is conducted on the back mapping, because we use the transformation matrix on the basis of the new adaption time step size. It follows an additional rescaling of the non-equilibrium part of the distributions, because of the form of the definition for the discrete stress tensor in the LBM context. For that reason it is clear, that the VAM is applicable for the SRT model as well as the MRT model, where there is virtually no extra cost in the latter case. Also, in Chapter 5, the multi level treatment will be discussed.
Depending on the target collision frequency and the target Mach number, the VAM can be used to optimally use the viscosity range that can be modeled within the stability bounds or it can be used to drastically accelerate the simulation. This is shown in Chapter 6. The viscosity adaptive LBM is verified in the stationary case for the Hagen-Poiseuille channel flow and in the transient case for the Wormersley flow, i.e., the pulsatile 3D Hagen-Poiseuille pipe flow. Although, the VAM is used here for fluids that can be modeled with the power-law approach, the implementation of the VALBM is straightforward for other non-Newtonian models, e.g., the Carreau-Yasuda or Cross model. In the same chapter, the VALBM is validated for the case of a propeller viscosimeter developed at the chair SAM. To this end, the experimental data of the torque on the impeller of three shear thinning non-Newtonian liquids serve for the validation. The VALBM shows excellent agreement with experimental data for all of the investigated fluids and in every operating point. For reasons of comparison, a series of standard LBM simulations is carried out with different simulation Mach numbers, which partly show errors of several hundred percent. Moreover, in Chapter 7, a sensitivity analysis on the parameters used within the VAM is conducted for the simulation of the propeller viscosimeter.
Finally, the accuracy of non-Newtonian Lattice Boltzmann simulations with the SRT and the MRT model is analyzed in detail. Previous work for Newtonian fluids indicate that depending on the numerical value of the collision frequency \(\Omega\), additional artificial viscosity is introduced due to the finite difference scheme, which negatively influences the accuracy. For the non-Newtonian case, an error estimate in the form of a functional is derived on the basis of a series expansion of the Lattice Boltzmann equation. This functional can be solved analytically for the case of the Hagen-Poiseuille channel flow of non-Newtonian fluids. The estimation of the error minimum is excellent in regions where the \(\Omega\) error is the dominant source of error as opposed to the compressibility error.
Result of this dissertation is a verified and validated software bundle on the basis of the viscosity adaptive Lattice Boltzmann Method. The work restricts itself on the simulation of isothermal, laminar flows with small Mach numbers. As further research goals, the testing of the VALBM with minimal error estimate and the investigation of the VALBM in the case of turbulent flows is suggested.

An efficient multiscale approach is established in order to compute the macroscopic response of nonlinear composites. The micro problem is rewritten in an integral form of the Lippmann-Schwinger type and solved efficiently by Fast Fourier Transforms. Using realistic microstructure models complex nonlinear effects are reproduced and validated with measured data of fiber reinforced plastics. The micro problem is integrated in a Finite Element framework which is used to solve the macroscale. The scale coupling technique and a consistent numerical algorithm is established. The method provides an efficient way to determine the macroscopic response considering arbitrary microstructures, constitutive behaviors and loading conditions.

The present thesis is concerned with the simulation of the loading behaviour of both hybrid lightweight structures and piezoelectric mesostructures, with a special focus on solid interfaces on the meso scale. Furthermore, an analytical review on bifurcation modes of continuum-interface problems is included. The inelastic interface behaviour is characterised by elastoplastic, viscous, damaging and fatigue-motivated models. For related numerical computations, the Finite Element Method is applied. In this context, so-called interface elements play an important role. The simulation results are reflected by numerous examples which are partially correlated to experimental data.

Tire-soil interaction is important for the performance of off-road vehicles and the soil compaction in the agricultural field. With an analytical model, which is integrated in multibody-simulation software, and a Finite Element model, the forces and moments generated on the tire-soil contact patch were studied to analyze the tire performance. Simulations with these two models for different tire operating conditions were performed to evaluate the mechanical behaviors of an excavator tire. For the FE model validation a single wheel tester connected to an excavator arm was designed. Field tests were carried out to examine the tire vertical stiffness, the contact pressure on the tire – hard ground interface, the longitudinal/vertical force and the compaction of the sandy clay from the test field under specified operating conditions. The simulation and experimental results were compared to evaluate the model quality. The Magic Formula was used to fit the curves of longitudinal and lateral forces. A simplified tire-soil interaction model based on the fitted Magic Formula could be established and further applied to the simulation of vehicle-soil interaction.

Liquid Composite Molding (LCM) processes, like Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) and Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion (VARI), are gaining increasing interest for the cost-efficient production of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites, e. g. Airbus A380 rear bulkhead. Meanwhile, purpose-built thermoset resin systems with adequately low processing viscosities are available. Although showing a better fatigue resistance composites from epoxy resins (EP) tend to be expensive while vinylester resin (VE) composites are more brittle and, hence, less fatigue resistant but attract due to their lower material costs. Following research on the toughness improvement of vinylester based resin systems, one subject of this thesis was the broad experimental characterization of the static and cyclic behavior of carbon fiber reinforced composites from resin systems which were toughened by either the generation of interpenetrating networks with aliphatic (Al-EP) and cyclo-aliphatic epoxy resins (Cal-EP) or by addition of a liquid, epoxy-terminated butadiene-nitrile rubber (ETBN). While quasi-static in-plane tension, compression and shear testing of [0°]8 and [±45°]3S laminates resulted in an unclear picture with regard to the mechanical performance of the investigated resin systems, R = -1 cyclic step loading provided a definite indication of the considerably higher cyclic fatigue strength of the modified carbon fiber reinforced vinylester-urethane (CF/VEUH:ETBN) composite which, consequently, was selected for detailed mechanical testing. To provide experimental input for subsequent fatigue life simulations applying the Critical Element Concept of Reifsnider et al. [76] the study included the determination of ultimate in-plane tension, compression and shear properties as well as the characterization of the cyclic fatigue behavior under constant amplitude loading. Different descriptions of S-N curves of the [0°]8-, [0°/90°]2S- and [+45°/0°/-45°/90°]S-laminates for R = +0.1, -1 and +10 were determined to derive constant fatigue life diagrams applying methods of Goodman or Harris et al. Furthermore the residual strength degradation model for the critical element (0° ply) and the residual stiffness degradation models for the sub-critical elements have been derived by experimental determination on [0°]8-, [0°/90°]2S- and [+45°/0°/-45°/90°]S-(CF/VEUH:ETBN)-laminates. Deficiencies in current fatigue life time prediction modeling for carbon fiber reinforced materials nowadays results in large factors of safety to be adopted. As a consequence composite structures are often overdesigned and expensive proto-type testing is required for life time prediction. Therefore, in this thesis standardized random-ordered miniTWIST (minimized transport wing standard) spectrum loading was used to understand improvements in fatigue life modeling so that fatigue life prediction results in a more efficient use of these materials. In particular the influence of constant amplitude cyclic fatigue modeling as well as constant fatigue life modeling itself on the results of the fatigue life analysis of random loading sequences have been investigated. Finally the bearing of residual strength or residual stiffness degradation modeling and the effect of filtering and counting methods on the fatigue life time prediction was determined in a sensitivity analysis. The fatigue life models were validated by experimental results using the random miniTWIST-loading on [0°]8-, [0°/90°]2S- and [+45°/0°/-45°/90°]S-(CF/VEUH:ETBN)-laminates.